Assessment of the effect of a protein calorie supplement on change in CD4 count among art-naïve female TB patients co-infected with HIV in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

RATIONALE: Tuberculosis and HIV infection together form a highly mortal combination. Even after the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) medications, management for Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS still remains a challenge. Poor outcomes (in both morbidity and mortality) are still being witnessed throughout the world, and especially in the poorly developed countries that bear the bulk of the burden of the cases. It is assumed that one of the major contributors to the poor outcomes is poor nutritional status resulting from the disease process itself, poverty and toxicity from medications being used to treat these diseases that substantially reduce appetite. An assessment of the role that nutritional status has on change in CD4 as a surrogate marker of disease progression is therefore of importance. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the role that nutritional supplementation has on change in CD4 in TB patients co-infected with HIV who are receiving standard care of treatment. METHODS: Data from a randomized controlled trial of a Protein Calorie Supplement (PCS) were used. To assess the effect of randomization to a nutritional supplement, baseline characteristics were compared among the intervention and the control groups and confounder variables, such as age, BMI, baseline CD4, socioeconomic status, previous exposure to TB and compliance with HAART medication were analyzed and adjusted for in a model using multivariate linear regression. RESULTS: 151 HIV-infected women with TB disease were enrolled; 72 received PCS while 79 did not. We found that the PCS intervention had no significant effect on change in CD4 between baseline and 8 months. Average change in CD4 count was similar for intervention and control groups (204 vs. 207 units). This similarity persisted after adjusting for baseline BMI and previous TB disease. CONCLUSION: Randomization (i.e. nutritional supplement) did not have a significant effect on change in CD4 count among study participants. However, an effect could have been masked by high compliance with ART

PinKavaleri

PinKavaleri adalah judul karya tari yang dipilih dari konsep pengkombinasian antara prajurit berkuda kesenian rakyat Jathilan dan prajurit Kavaleri TNI AD, dengan mengilhami karakter Macan Tidar bernuansa pink. Jathilan merupakan kesenian rakyat yang telah lama dikenal oleh masyarakat Jawa. Kesenian ini merupakan visualisasi tentang prajurit berkuda yang tengah berlatih perang. Sedangkan Kavaleri adalah pasukan berkuda TNI AD. Macan Tidar merupakan julukan bagi TNI AD sebagai penggambaran sosok yang bersemangat, kuat, pemberani, dan selalu berapi-api dalam mencapai suatu tujuan. Karya tari PinKavaleri bertema Revitalisasi Tradisi. Koreografi ini disajikan dengan pola large group composition yang ditarikan oleh sebelas orang penari putri, yang terdiri dari sepuluh penari inti dan satu penari introduksi. Gerak yang disajikan berpijak dari motif gerak kesenian rakyat Jathilan dangerak gerik prajurit Kavaleri TNI AD. Karya tari PinKavaleri menampilkan introduksi dan tiga bagian penggarapan. Bagian introduksi sebagai pengantar karya yang menyajikan prajurit berkuda dalam kesenian rakyat Jathilan, transisi pengkombinasian gerak dengan prajurit Kavaleri TNI AD, dilanjutkan penggabungan keduanya. Bagian I memvisualisasikan sosok prajurit berkuda tanpa menggunakan properti tari, mode penyajian simbolis banyak muncul dalam bagian ini. Bagian II menyajikan hasil eksplorasi terhadap properti imitasi jaran kepang sebagai properti tari. Bagian III memvisualisasikan prajurit berkuda saat tengah berlatih perang dengan menggunakan properti imitasi jaran kepang, pistol, dan senapan. Koreografi PinKavaleri menggunakan setting panggung sederhana, dengan pengadaan level dan sedikit penataan. Karya tari ini memberlakukan exit-entrance penari sebagai variasi jumlah penari dan pola lantai. Musik pengiring koreografi ini adalah musik rekaman. Rias Busana yang digunakan dalam tari “PinKavaleri” yakni rias korektif wanita, sedangkan desain kostum dikembangkan dari kostum Jathilan kombinasi seragam seorang TNI AD dengan dominasi warna pink. Karya tari inimerupakan pembaruan tradisi yang mengerucutkan ide gagasan tentang pengkombinasian prajurit berkuda dalam kesenian rakyat Jathilan dan pasukan Kavaleri TNI AD dengan mengilhami karakter Macan Tidar. Koreografi PinKavaleri sebagai pengejawantahan bagaimana perempuan dapat melakukan atau memberikan kesan untuk menembus ruang maskulin dengan bahasa tubuh perempuan

Determining an Allowable Wear of Worm Wheels

The paper presents an analysis based on the two criteria used to determine an allowable sliding wear of the worm gear side teeth and of the worm wheels. In both cases, two undesirable consequences occurred. The first one is a reduction in the tooth root cross section, which may lead to tooth fracture. The other one is the appearance of tooth tapers. Both consequences are undesirable in all types of gear transmissions because of the risk of tooth fracture

Comparison of antifriction properties of polymer composites and bronze

Kompoziti na bazi polimera postižu sve značajniju primjenu kao konstrukcijski materijal te kao materijal za izradu kliznih ležajeva. Njihova tribološka svojstva i faktor trenja moguće je ispitati laboratorijskim postupcima [1]. Kompoziti na bazi polimera mogu zamijeniti broncu kao konstrukcijski materijal za klizne ležajeve u pojedinim aplikacijama. Bronca kao konstrukcijski materijal posjeduje dugu povijest primjene u raznim strojevima. Zbog velikog izbora literature i provedenih ispitivanja na tom materijalu imamo određenu dozu sigurnosti prilikom izbora nekog konstrukcijskog elementa. Cilj ovoga rada je ispitati faktor trenja kompozitnog materijala na bazi polimera u usporedbi s broncom kao konstrukcijskim materijalom koji ima dugu povijest primjene.Polymer-based composites have been increasingly implemented as engineering material and as material for the fabrication of slide bearings. Their tribological properties and friction coefficient can be tested by laboratory procedures [1]. Polymer-based composites can replace bronze as engineering material for slide bearings in some applications. As an engineering material, bronze has a long history of implementation in various machines. Because of wide selection of literature and carried out studies on this material there is a certain amount of safety when selecting a construction element. The objective of this work is to study the friction coefficient of the polymer-based composite material compared to bronze as engineering material that has had a long history of application

Influence of contact pressure and sliding speed on the temperature and coefficient of friction in sliding contact between two PET samples

Upotreba polimernih materijala u stalnom je porastu, područje primjene polimera kao ležajnog materijala povećat će se boljim poznavanjem karakteristika pojedinih materijala te njihove kompatibilnosti u određenim primjenama. Primjena polietilen tereftalata (PET) s dodatkom politetraflouretilena (PTFE) zbog omjera proizvodnih troškova i mehaničkih svojstava pokazuje potencijal u primjeni kod strojnih dijelova u rotaciji pri nižem opterećenju. Primjena PET-a u kombinaciji PET/PET ispitana je u tri radne točke uz jednokratnu primjenu maziva kod tri različita iznosa obodnih brzina i opterećenja. Prikazana je promjena temperatura koja se javlja u području neposredno nakon izlaza iz zahvata ispitnih uzoraka tijekom rada za ukupni prijeđeni put u trajanju od 9 h, uz obrazloženje metode mjerenja temperature. Za pojedine radne točke prikazana je raspodjela dobivenih maksimalnih i srednjih temperatura prema opterećenju od 9 do 18 MPa te za područje obodnih brzina od 0,8 do 2 m/s. Prikazan je utjecaj maziva na povećanje opteretivosti i smanjenje faktora trenja primjenom maziva uz referentne vrijednosti temperatura i faktora trenja pri radu na suho.The use of polymeric materials has been growing steadily. A more extensive use of polymers as bearing materials will be made possible by a better knowledge of the properties of particular materials and their compatibility in a particular application. Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) with the addition of Polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) shows potential for being used as a material for machine parts rotating at lower loads due to its good ratio between manufacturing costs and mechanical properties. The use of PET in a PET/PET combination has been tested in three working points, with a lubricant applied once in each run and with three different values of sliding speed and of load. The change in temperature which occurs in the vicinity of the outlet zone of the contact at the end of the sliding path after 9 hour operation is presented. The applied method and temperature measurement are explained. The distribution of obtained maximum and average temperatures in the load range 9 ÷ 18 MPa and the sliding speed range 0,8 ÷ 2 m/s is shown for single working points. In addition, the effects of lubricant application on the increase in the magnitude of the load carrying capacity and on the decrease in the value of friction coefficient are shown in comparison with the reference values of temperature and friction coefficient in the dry contact operation

Prospective of Roof Rain Water Harvesting (RRWH) in Kesses Constituency, Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

As a water scarce country, Kenya has witness an increased investment in Rain Water Harvesting (RWH) projects. Most of Roof RWH research is centred on the potential and implementation of RWH systems, however not much focus has been placed on examining the demand satisfaction of these systems. The main goal of this study was to demonstrate in spatial domains, the large potential for RRWH in Kesses Constituency and thereby provide a tool for advocacy and decision support, for RRWH in Kenya. This research was based on literature revision, statistical analysis of precipitation data set (January, 1994 to December, 2013), rainwater laboratory tests (Hardness, pH, turbidity, Chlorine, e-coli, suspended matter and colour) and concise field study using key informant interviews and structured questionnaires. The results were analyzed by Descriptive statistical methods. In addition analysis of variance ANOVA, Statgraphics Centurion XVI and Microsoft Excel were used. The study concluded that each of the study wards received a high RRWH reliability based on the amount of water available in storage and secondly, that RRWH can satisfy the minimum demand requirement throughout a year, given sufficient guttered roof area. Numerous recommendations were also made on correlated issues. Keywords: Harvesting, Kesses, Precipitation, Rainwater, Roof.